Shaft-bearing.



G. J. RATHBUN.

SHAFT BEARING. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I. I9! 1.

Patented Oct. 8 1918.

GEORGE J'. RATHBUN, 0F TOLEDO, OHIO.

SHAFT-IBEARIN G.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

Application filed September 1, 1917. Serial N 0. 189,260.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. RATHBUN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Shaft-Bearing; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to shaft bearings and particularly to one adapted for use in connection with engines, compressors, pumps, or the like, of the horizontal type.

Considerable difficulty has been experienced by builders and users of horizontal engines, compressors, pumps, or the like,

especially those in which a heavy fly-wheel is employed, in providing a bearing for the crank-shaft, which will compensate both for the vertical wear, which is occasioned by the weight of the shaft and fiy-wheel, and for the horizontal wear, which is occasioned by the horizontal forces acting on the crankshaft.

The object of my invention is the provision of a'bearing which will maintain the correct alinement of the shape and take care of both the conditions above noted in a simple and eflicient mannerwhereby the life of the bearing is materially prolonged and the play incident to vertical and horizontal wear overcome or reduced to a minimum.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a central axial vertical section of a bearing embodying the invention, with a shaft mounted therein, and Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sections thereof taken respectively on the lines 22 and 33 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a frame having the bearing receiving box 2, the top of which, in the present mstance, is open and the side walls thereof parallel. Mounted within the box 2 are two separate bearings for receiving the shaft 3, which projects horizontally through said box, one bearing mounted for vertical movements,

between inclined slide-blocks 7, 7, which blocks have their outer sides in sliding contact with the respective vertical side walls of the box 2 for vertical movements within said box. Coiled compression springs 8 are disposed between the bearing blocks 4 and 5 at opposite sides of the shaft 3 and urge said blocks outward against the respective slide-blocks 7 7.

The bearing-blocks 4 and 5 are adjustably secured to the slide-blocks 7, 7 by screws 9, which thread into the upper ends of the slide-blocks and are shouldered in horizontal recesses or elongated openings provided in the upper end portion of the block 4 at the respective side edges thereof, as

the open top of the box 2. A wrench, not

shown, may be applied to the upper end of the shaft 12 for turning the same as it may be desired to adjust the slide-block 7 relative to the bearing-blocks 4, 5 to compensate for wear in said blocks. The pinion l1 and its shaft are anchored against axial movements relative to the cap 13, while the pinions 10 are permitted to have limit-ed vertical movements relative to the pinion 11 to allow for the vertical floating movements of the bearing. A jam-nut 12 is mounted on the outer end of the shaft 12 and may be tightened against the cap 18 to lock the shaft in adjusted position.

The horizontally movable bearing is mounted at one side of the vertically movable hearing within the box 2 and comprises the upper and lower bearing-blocks 14 and 15, the upper, in the present instance, fitting within the lower and the two being yieldingly forced apart by coiled compression springs 16 inserted therebetween. The upper bearing-block 1f has horizontal sliding contact with a registering horizontal guide portion 17 of the cap 13 and the lower bearing-block slidingly rests on a vertically adjustable supporting or guide-block 18. A screw 19 threads up through the bottom of the box 2 in supporting engagement with the block l8. It is thus evident that the vertical wear within the bearing-block 15 may be compensated for by an adjustment of this screw so as to maintain correct alinement.

In the use of my invention the weight of the crank-shaft and fiy-wheel is borne by the bearing-block 15 and the horizontal forces that are exerted on the crank-shaft are borne by the bearing-blocks 4: and 5, the outward horizontal thrusts of which are against the respective blocks 7 and side walls of the box 2. If the engine, pump, or the like, is of the single acting type the horizontal forces are exerted against only one of the blocks 4:, 5, in which case the adjusting means could be eliminated for the other block. It is thus evident that the wear in each set of bearing blocks is only in the direction in which the weight or thrust of the crank-shaft is exerted thereon and that such wear may be independently taken up in each bearing in a simple and rapid manner. It is also evident that neither set of bearing-blocks interferes with the movements of the other set of blocks.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arr-angement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a shaft, of a plurality of juxtaposed bearings therefor relatively movable in planes which intersect at the shaft axis.

2. The combination with a shaft, ofa plurality of bearings therefor relatively movable in planes which intersect at-the shaft axis and adapted to oppose pressures exerted thereon by the shaft in planes which in tersect the planes of movement of the respective bearings.

3. The combination with a shaft, of a plurality of juxtaposed bearings therefor mounted for movements in planes which intersect at the shaft axis and adjustable to compensate for wear in planes which intersect the planes of their respective movements,

frame, and a plurality of juxtaposed bearings for said shaft mounted in said frame for movements 111 planes which intersect at the shaft axis and having their. respective 7. The combination with a shaft, of a frame, a plurality of multiple part bearings for said shaft mounted in said frame for movements in planes which intersect at the shaft axis and each bearing having its movements in other directions opposed by said frame, the parts of each bearing being relatively adjustable in a plane which intersects the plane of movement of the respective bearing, and separate means for adjusting the parts of each bearing. I

8. The combination with a shaft, of two bearings therefor mounted for movements in planes which intersect at the shaft axis, and separate means for adjusting each set to compensate for wear.

9. The combination with a'shaft, of a frame having a bearing guide therein, and separate bearing means for the shaft mounted in said guide for movements in planes which intersect at the shaft axis.

10. The combination with a shaft, of a frame, separate bearing means for the shaft mounted in said frame for movements in planes which intersect at the shaft axis, and wear adjusting means for each bearing means. v

11. The combination with a shaft, of a frame, a bearing for said sha'ftmounted for vertical movements insaid frame and havpensate for wear in the direction in which- .movement is opposed by the frame. 4:. The comblnation with a shaft, of a ingblocks receiving saidshaft and having their opposed vertical surfaces oppositely-tapered, tapered slide-blocks disposed between the tapered sides of said bearing blocks and frame-guide, and means cooperating with frame-guide and adapted to have vertical said frame-guide to prevent vertical move- 10 movements With the bearing blocks of said ments of said second set of bearing blocks guide, means connecting said slide-blocks and adjustable to compensate for vertical and bearing blocks to relatively adjust the wear.

same to compensate for Wear, a second set of In testimony whereof, I have hereunto bearing blocks receiving said shaft and signed my name to this specification.

mounted for horizontal movements in said GEORGE J. RATHBUN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

